Dukes prepare for their first game in the Dudley Hewitt Cup

By Amanda Monahan

Fresh off their Buckland Cup victory last Tuesday, the Wellington Dukes are back in competition mode as they prepare for their first game in the Dudley Hewitt Cup.

The Dukes are facing off against the Wisconsin Wilderness, who in their first year in the Superior International Junior A Hockey league, finished the season with 32 straight regular season games without a regulation loss.

The goalies for both teams won Most Valuable Player honours in their playoff runs to get to the provincial championships.

John McLean, a six-foot-eight goalie, recorded a 1.90 GAA for the Wilderness during their playoff runs. McLean posted a 9-1 record in 10 playoff appearances.

Dukes’ Jordan Ruby, bound for RIT in Rochester, N.Y., next season on an NCAA hockey scholarship, registered a sparkling 1.71 GAA in 20 Ontario Jr. A Hockey League playoff games along with a .946 save percentage and 16 wins as he backstopped Wellington to the Buckland Cup.

The Dukes and Wilderness kick off the five-day tournament with their first game at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.